Much has been made this preseason about Daniel Susac winning the backup catcher role for the San Francisco Giants. Susac, a northern California native whose older brother, Andrew, won a World Series as Buster Posey’s backup, entered camp as the presumptive favorite due to his Rule 5 status. As a Rule 5 selection, Susac needs to stay on the active roster for the entirety of the year, and cannot be optioned. If the Giants wish to move him off the active roster for any reason other than an injury, he’ll
be returned to the Athletics system.
Susac did, indeed, win the job, beating out veteran Eric Haase and contact-maven prospect Jesús Rodríguez. He’ll be the backup catcher for the foreseeable future, and the Giants will surely hope that he can hang onto the role all year, and stay in the system.
But while Susac got the bulk of the attention, he wasn’t the only Rule 5 pick whose fate impacts the Giants. You might remember that San Francisco lost a pair of right-handed pitchers in the Major League portion of the December draft, Spencer Miles and Ryan Watson.
And both of those players made their respective teams’ Opening Day rosters, meaning they won’t be returned to the Giants … not yet, at least.
With respect to Watson, Miles is the notable name of the pair, and was taken by the defending American League champion Toronto Blue Jays. A fourth-round pick in 2022 out of Missouri, talent has never been an issue for Miles … but health has. He pitched 7.1 innings in ‘22 after getting drafted, but missed the entirety of the 2023 season. He pitched 7.1 more innings in 2024 — all at the Complex League — but lost all of 2025. As such, the 25-year old has just 14.2 innings of professional baseball to his name, and none above Low-A. But a fantastic showing in the Arizona Fall League — with mesmerizing metrics to back it up — earned him a look from the Blue Jays.
He ran with it in the spring, striking out 11 batters in 9.2 innings, with a 3.72 ERA. It came down to the wire, but he made the Opening Day roster, and now will become the rare player to appear in the Majors before playing in AAA, AA, or even High-A.
But that’s only the first step. There were warning flags in Miles’ performance: he walked five batters, hit another, and ceded a pair of home runs. And he’s joining a Blue Jays roster that has four pitchers on the 15-Day Injured List, plus another on the 60-Day IL. Making the roster was one thing; sticking on it will be another one entirely.
As for Watson, he was taken by the Athletics and traded to the Boston Red Sox. The 28-year old has had a long career as he prepares for his Major League debut: he was drafted out of high school in the 39th round in 2016 by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but didn’t sign. He chose instead to play at Auburn, and went undrafted in the pandemic-shortened 2020 draft, but signed with the Baltimore Orioles. They traded him to the Giants for cash considerations in late 2024.
Watson didn’t pitch particularly well for the Red Sox this spring, with a 5.56 ERA, a 4.62 FIP, and just seven strikeouts in 11.1 innings. But he impressed his new coaching staff, and gets the excitement of joining a Major League roster.
Miles and Watson will be worth paying attention to in the coming days, weeks, and months. Should the Blue Jays or Red Sox decide they don’t want to keep them, they’ll be placed on waivers. Any team that claims the relievers will have to abide by the same Rule 5 restrictions. If they clear waivers, they’ll be returned to the Giants for a small fee, and they’ll head back to the Minor Leagues, without taking a spot on the 40-man roster.
The Giants were heavily involved in the Rule 5 draft this year, as Miles, Watson, and Susac represent three of the just 13 players who were taken. As for the other 10 (all pitchers), six made the Opening Day roster for their new teams, while three were returned to their original organization. One, RJ Petit of the Colorado Rockies, will open the year on the Injured List.
